Coupler positioning device



Dec. 16, 1969 G. w. COPE COUPLER POSITIONING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 18, 1966 Invennor; Geof'f ray W. Cop e Dec. 16, 1969 5. w. COPE COUPLER POSITIONING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 18, 1966 Invenior:

Geoffrey W. Cop a W6; A w i a Q Q E mm gg E m E a @222 NW iii/wi iifi m t iii w a a a 9 his Aii'amey Unite States Patent 3,484,000 COUPLER POSETHONING DEVICE Geoffrey W. Cope, Williamsville, N.Y., assignor to Dresser industries, Inc, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 18, 1966, Ser. No. 551,038 Int. Cl. Bfilg 9/04, 11/00 US. Ci. 213-40 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to positioning devices for railway car couplers.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved positioning device for a horizontally swingable railway coupler which, without preventing swinging of a coupled coupler, will automatically center the coupler when uncoupled or under remote control swing the uncoupled coupler to any desired off-center position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a positioning device for a horizontally swingable coupler which, while automatically centering an uncoupled coupler, can override its centering action on demand to swing the uncoupled coupler to any desired off-center position and automatically permits the coupler when coupled to swing with the mated coupler.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a coupler positioning device possessing the foregoing capabilities and of such construction as to be effective in operation and proof against damage by service shocks.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter in the detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appended claims and be illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the positioning device of the present invention applied to a horizontally swingable hook type coupler;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along lines 22 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a schematic view of the control valve of the preferred device.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts, the improved coupler positioning device of the present invention, while applicable to any coupler that can swing horizontally, irrespective of whether it can also swing vertically, is particularly designed for the very severe service expected on the high speed passenger trains now under development for the so-called Northeast Corridor. At present a conpler having a shank like that of the standard Type H passenger car coupler but a head of the automatic hook type, such as illustrated in the Cope Patent No. 3,181,708, issued May 4, 1965, is favored for such cars, for the ease with which that head can be adapted for automatically coupling air and electric train service lines incident to the mechanical coupling of adjoining cars. It, therefore, is such a coupler that has been illustrated as exemplary of horizontally swingable couplers to which the improved positioning device is applicable.

As indicated above, the exemplary coupler 1 has a hook type head 2 and a shank 3 received in the adjoining end of a center sill 4. The butt 5 of the coupler 1 is connected inside the center sill 4 to a yoke (not shown) for relative horizontal and vertical swinging or angling by a typical 3,484,000 Patented Dec. 16, 1969 ice Type H radial connection 6. To accommodate the extended horizontal or lateral swinging of which the coupler 1 is capable, the sides or side webs 7 of the center sill 4 are flared forwardly of the vertical coupler or pivot pin 8 about which the coupler swings horizontally.

The improved positioning device, designated as 9, is adapted either to act on the coupler, when uncoupled, to position it at a particular angle or angular disposition relative to the longitudinal centerline of the car or to yield under a force received from the coupler to permit the coupler, when coupled, to swing or angle with the mated coupler (not shown). Not only is this alternate action or, more properly, action and reaction obtainable from the positioning device but it is obtained without requiring change or alteration of the device as the coupler changes between coupled and uncoupled conditions. Specifically, the device acts automatically to center an uncoupled coupler or yield to swinging of a coupled coupler and also can be operated to cause it to override its normal centering action upon an uncoupled coupler and swing the coupler to any desired off-center angular disposition, thus permitting a car to be coupled with equal facility on either straight or curved track.

The positioning device 9 includes a laterally shiftable coupler positioning or contact member 10 through which lateral forces or force components are transmitted to and from the coupler 1. To perform its intended functions the positioning member 10 should be guided in its movements and either be directly connected to or straddle or embrace the coupler. Fulfilling these requirements, the preferred positioning member 10 is formed of a pair of positioning arms 11 laterally embracing or straddling and engaging or engageable with opposite sides 12 of the shank 3 of the coupler 1 forwardly of the horizontal pivot 8. While the arms 11 cooperate in positioning the coupler 1 in its uncoupled condition, they are not positively connected either to the coupler or to each other. Instead, the arms 11 are separately mounted for independent movement outside and on opposite sides of the center sill 4, each, conveniently, on one of the side webs 7.

Duplicate or counterpart, the arms 11 are mounted for pivoting, swinging or fulcruming on laterally aligned pivots 13, each on a mounting bracket 14 secured to the adjoining side web 7. Generally of L-shape, each arm 11 has a stem 15 connected at its rear end to the adjoining or related bracket 14 and extending forwardly there from along the outside of the adjoining side web 7. On the opposite or front end portion of each stem 15 is an abutment, shoulder or head 16, preferably integral with and disposed substantially at right angles or normal to the stem and instanding therefrom into the center still 4 through a slot 17 in the adjoining side wall 7. Projectable and retractable laterally in a horizontal arcuate path about the related pivot 13, each head 16 has an arcuately and preferably cylindrically convex bearing surface for engagement with the confronting side 12 of the coupler shank 3.

In the preferred positioning device 9 in which the positioning member 10 is formed of the pair of arms 11,

the mechanism by which the arms are caused to act on and enabled to react to the coupler 1, also is formed of duplicate or counterpart parts 19 mounted at opposite sides of the center sill 4 on the underside of the car body (not shown). Controlling and mounted outwardly of the adjoining arm 11, beyond or outwardly of the center sill 4, each part 19 includes a horizontal, laterally acting toggle or toggle joint 2% formed of inner and outer toggle legs or links 21 and 22, respectively, which are connected for relative horizontal angling or pivoting at their adjoining ends at the toggles center or knee 23, suitably by a toggle pin 24. The inner toggle leg 21 is pivotally connected at its inner end to the front end of the adjoining or related positioning arm 11 at the back of the latters head 16, while the outer toggle leg 22 is connected at its outer end to a pivot or fulcrum 25 fixed to the underside of the car body outwardly of and in substantial lateral alignment with the connection of the inner leg to the positioning arm.

Also pivotally connected or joined at their adjoining, suitably clevised ends by the toggle pin 24 at the knee 23 of the toggle 20 and opposed in their actions thereupon, are a spring-actuated rod 26 of a coupler centering, spring unit 27 and a piston rod 28 of an overriding, coupler offcentering, fluid-actuated piston unit 29. Disposed and acting generally longitudinally of the car and parallel to the center sill 4, the centering and overriding units 27 and 29, to accommodate the arcuate movement of the toggles knee 23 about its fixed toggle fulcrum 25, are mounted on the underside of the car body for pivoting about fixed pivots 30 and 31, respectively intermediate the ends of the centering unit and at the rear or far end of the overriding unit. The centering unit 27 includes an end-capped housing 32 having fixed to it intermediate its ends a vertically trunnioned sleeve 33 and containing a coil or like suitable centering spring 34 between washers 35. The spring rod 26 is slidable axially in and extends through the housing 32 inside the spring 34 and carries on its front or far end a lock nut 36 of a size to pass through an aperture 37 in the adjoining end cap 38 but not through either of the washers 35, both end caps preferably being so apertured so that the unit will work equally well whichever end of the housing faces the toggle 20.

Normally the toggle 20 of each part 19 is partly collapsed or bent away from the spring unit 27 and is held against further collapse by engagement of the lock nut 36 on the spring rod 26 with the adjoining washer 35. In that condition of each toggle 20, the heads 16 of the positioning arms 11, while only partly projected into the center sill 4, are substantially equally projected and have their bearing surfaces 18 either in contact with the sides 12 of the coupler shank 3 or so close thereto as to center the coupler 1 on the longitudinal centerline of the car either exactly or at least within the gathering range of the head 2. In this centered position of the coupler, some spacing between the positioning arms 11 and the couplers shank 3 is desirable and is particularly readily obtainable if the coupler head 2 is of the illustrated automatic hook type because of the latters wide gathering range.

Since each of the illustrated spring units 27 is singleacting in opposing further collapse or contraction but not expansion or extension of the related toggle 20 from the latters normal position, neither by itself would prevent the coupler 1 from swinging toward the opposite or far side of the car and the joint action of both is required for holding the coupler in centered position. While the spring 34 of each unit 27 is normally extended to the limits permitted by its housing 32, it preferably is not then fully extended and, instead, is under a precompression sufilcient, with the leverage or mechanical advantage obtained from the toggle 20, to swing the coupler 1 when the latter is uncoupled. As a result, the preferred spring units 27 not only will normally hold or lock an uncoupled coupler in centered position but one or the other will act automatically to move or shift it to that position if it is off-center at the time it is uncoupled.

Although sufiicient to center an uncoupled coupler, the centering force derived from the precompression of the springs 34 is intentionally insufficient to prevent the coupler 1, when coupled, to swing to its full extent within the limits imposed by or in the center sill 4 under the relatively high level lateral forces applied between mated couplers. Nor, since normally broken, does the toggle 20 itself oppose such swinging of the coupled coupler. The positioning device 9, accordingly, acts automatically 1 through its arms 11, toggles 20 and spring units 27 without requiring change or alteration of any sort, both to center an uncoupled coupler and to yield as necessary to accommodate lateral swinging of a coupled coupler under the lateral components of exterior forces which are applied to the coupler 1 and, with respect to the positioning device, are initiated at the coupler.

Although not automatic, the positioning device 9 has a third capability of prime importance to a coupling operation when the heads of the couplers to be coupled are so misaligned laterally as not to be contactable within their gathering ranges. This condition is not infrequent in coupling on curved track and, if the curvature is comparatively sharp and, as in passenger service, the couplers have long shanks and extended swinging ranges, can occur even though the couplers are centered on their respective cars. It is under this condition that the devices overriding piston units 29 are brought into play.

If, as preferred, the positioning device has the illustrated pair of single-acting piston units 29, the piston rod 28 of each of which is advanced by air or other fluid pressure and return by a return spring 39, the units must be alternately actuatable to override the centering action of the spring units 27 and swing the coupler 1 off-center toward one or another side of the car. Each piston unit 29 normally has its piston rod 28 held in retracted position by its return spring 39 and that spring also serves to hold the related toggle 21 in the normal partly collapsed condition or position fixed by the adjoining spring unit 27 by virtue of the relatively greater strength of its spring 34. However, when actuated, either piston unit 29, by advancing its piston rod 28, will extend and on full advance straighten the connected toggle 21 between the latters fixed outer pivot 25 and connection to the adjoining positioning arm 11 and correspondingly project the head 16 of that arm into the center sill 4. In process the positioning arm will apply a lateral force through its bearing surface 18 on the confronting side 12 of the shank 3, for swinging the coupler 1 off-center toward the opposite side of the car. In this action, the piston unit 29 will be unopposed by its own but opposed by the other or opposite spring unit 27 in forcing the positioning arm 11 connected to the latter spring unit to swing backward or outwardly in the direction of swing of the coupler. In overriding the centering action of the spring units 27, each piston unit 29 thus is required to have sufficient power to override or overcome one but not both of the spring units.

In addition to being operable alternately, it is desirable that the piston units 29 be stoppable at any desired point in the advance stroke of their rods 28 so as to position and hold the coupler 1 in whatever off-center position is suited for the particular coupling operation. Further, the operation should be such that the fluid pressure on the piston unit will be released the moment it is no longer needed.

Using compressed air from an air train line or other suitable source (not shown) as the actuating fluid, the desired operation can readily be obtained by remote control from any convenient control station (not shown) on the car by a suitable control mechanism, such as a manually actuated control valve 40. The illustrated valve 40 is of the slide type with a spring-centered piston 41 slidable in and normally centered on a valve chamber 42 in a housing 43. Opening onto the chamber 42 are a central inlet port or passage 44 connected to a suitable source of compressed air, a pair of outlet ports or passages 45 bracketing or straddling and spaced outwardly from the inlet port and each connected by an outlet line 46 to one of the piston units 29, and a pair of exhaust ports 47 bracketing and spaced outwardly from the outlet ports.

The piston 41 has a stem 48 projecting through one end of the housing 43 and carrying in the chamber 42 a pair of heads 49 which are so axially positioned and spaced as normally to connect each outlet port 45 to the adjoining exhaust port 47 and disconnect both outlet ports from the inlet port 44. Shifting of the heads. to

their extreme positions in the chamber 42 alternately connects the exhaust ports 47 to the inlet port 44. In addition, each head 49 preferably carries a pair of O-rings 50 so spaced as to enable the head to be moved to an intermediate position in which its O-rings bracket and block flow to and from the adjoining outlet port 45. The preferred control valve 40 thus is a five-position valve having a neutral position in which neither piston unit 29 is powered or actuated, extreme positions in which the units are alternately powered, and intermediate positions in which the flow to and from one or the other of the units is stopped or blocked.

An operating handle 51, conveniently fulcrurned on the housing 43, enables an operator selectively to shift the piston 41 to any of its extreme 0; intermediate positions, the extreme positions for alternately powering the piston units 29 and the intermediate positions for locking either piston rod 28 at a par icular point in its advance stroke. Consequently, the operator, by swinging the handle 51 and correspondingly shifting the piston 41, can cause the piston units 29 to override the centering spring units 27 and swing the coupler 1 laterally to and hold or lock it in whatever off-center position is required for a particular coupling operation. Conversely, since spring-centered, the piston 41, on release of the handle 51, will automatically return to neutral position in which the pi ton units 29 are deactivated or inoperative and the spring units 27 are restored for their automatic centering action on an uncoupled coupler.

While the positioning device is automatic in its actions in centering an uncoupled coupler and permitting a coupled coupler to swing with the mated coupler, its nonautomatic action in swinging an uncoupled coupler offcenter to coupling position for a particular coupling operation, is not very meaningful unless the operator is apprised of the angular position or disposition of the coupler relative to or its angular deviation from the cars longitudinal centerline at all times during the positioning operation. To give the operator this information, without requiring the control station to be located at a point from which he can see the coupler itself, the position device preferably includes a pointer 52 electrically connected and responsive to transducers 53 on the pivots 13 of the positioning arms 11, for visually indicating to an operator at any convenient control station the angular position of the coupler 1 relative to the cars longitudinal centerline at any given time.

From the above detailed description, it will be apparent that there has been provided an improved coupler positioning device for a horizontally swingable coupler, which enables the coupler, when uncoupled, to be centered automatically or non-automatically swung for coupling to any desired off-center position and automatically accommodates itself to swinging of the coupler when coupled to a mated coupler. It should be understood that the described and disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to be included that do not depart from the spirit of the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A positioning device for a horizontally swingable coupler of a railway car comprising yieldable centering means operatively connected to said coupler forwardly of a horizontal pivot thereof for automatically centering said coupler when uncoupled on said car and yielding to permit said coupler when coupled to swing horizontally with a mated coupler, override means operatively connected to said coupler forwardly of said pivot and operable in the uncoupled condiiton thereof and While said centering means is operatively connected to said coupler for overriding said centering means and swinging said coupler horizontally out of centered position, and including normally broken toggle means in the connection of the centering means to the coupler.

2. A positioning device according to claim 1 wherein both the centering means and the override means are connected to the coupler through the toggle means, and the override means in overriding the centering means extends the toggle means.

3. A positioning device according to claim 2 including positioning means interposed between the toggle means and the coupler in the connection of the centering means and override means to the coupler, said positioning means being directly engageable with a shank of the coupler forwardly of the pivot thereof and connected to the toggle means for transmitting lateral forces therebetween.

4. A positioning device according to claim 3 wherein the toggle means are laterally acting, the centering means are spring unit means, and the override means are fluidacfuated piston unit means.

5. A positioning device according to claim 4 wherein the positioning means are a pair of positioning arms pivotally mounted on the car at opposite sides of the coupler and the spring unit means, piston unit means and toggle means are each a pair respectively of spring units, piston units and toggles mounted on opposite sides of the coupler and each connected to one of the positioning arms.

6. A positioning device according to claim 4 wherein the piston means are holdable at any point in a fluidactuated stroke thereof for holding the coupler at any off-center position in the range over which it is horizontally swingab'e.

7. A positioning device according to claim 5 wherein each piston unit acts through the connected toggle and positioning arm and against the spring unit at the opposite side of the coupler in swinging the coupler 0lf-center toward that side, and including control means for alternately actuating the piston units.

8. A positioning device according to claim 7 wherein the control means is selectively operable for alternately actuating the piston units and holding the actuated unit at any point in its fluid-actuated stroke to thereby position and ho'd the coupler in any off-center position within the range over which it it horizontally swingable.

9. A positioning device according to claim 5 wherein the toggle at each side of the coupler is pivotally connected at opposite ends to the adjoining positioning arm and a fixed pivot on the car, said connections are substantially aligned laterally of the car, and the spring unit and piston unit connected to each toggle are connected thereto through a knee thereof and act in opposition thereon generally longitudinally of the car.

10. A positioning device for a horizontally swingable coupler of a railway car comprising yieldable centering means operatively connected to said coupler forwardly of a horizontal pivot thereof for automatically centering said coupler when uncoupTed on said car and yielding to permit said coupler when coupled to swing horizontally with a mated coupler, and fluid-actuated override means operatively connected to said coupler forwardly of said pivot and operable in the uncoupled condition thereof and while said centering means is operatively connected to said coupler for overriding said centering means and both swinging said coupler to any desired off-centered position and holding said coupler in said position for coupling with a mating coupler.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,154,040 9/1915 Milliken 21316 1,231,619 7/1917 Krakau 2.1316 X 3,108,697 10/1963 Metzger 213-21 3,258,131 6/1966 Manyek 21319 DRAYTON E. HOFFMAN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 213-19 

